First I looked at the prompt and rearanged the headings:
Artist Reflection
I looked at the original headings and rearranged them into something that felt more authentic to me. A dandelion is more fitting than a tree — it represents growth, resilience, and movement. Every part of a dandelion has purpose, and nothing is wasted. The roots, leaves, bloom, and seeds all work together to create beauty and continuation.
For me, the Dandelion of Life symbolizes wholeness. I don’t believe in discarding parts of myself or my past. Every experience — good or hard — becomes part of the soil that shapes who I am. Like a dandelion, I take what life gives me, turn toward the light, and let the wind carry my ideas, care, and creativity wherever they might land.
🌼 The Dandelion of Life
Every part of the dandelion has a purpose. Nothing is wasted; everything contributes to growth. Its roots reach deep, its leaves nourish, its bloom brightens the world, and its seeds carry hope into new places.
This dandelion represents my life — the people, places, and lessons that have shaped me, and the legacies I hope will continue to grow long after I’m gone.
🌾 The Ground — Family Legacy
The soil is rich with the stories of those who came before me — grandparents, parents, and family whose love and lessons still nourish my life. Their strength and creativity form the ground I grow from.
🌱 The Roots — Where I Grew Up
My roots wind through Colorado’s soil and sunlight. The mountains, fields, and open skies taught me endurance, curiosity, and wonder. This is where my love of nature, art, and community first took hold.
🌿 The Leaves — My Family Today
The leaves represent the people who sustain me day to day — my husband, family, animals, and friends. They help me take in the light and breathe out gratitude. They are how I photosynthesize love into energy.
🌸 The Bloom — What Brings Me Joy Each Week
The bloom is the part of me that opens toward joy. It represents the moments that make me happiest — making art, helping others through Moxie, tending the garden, connecting with people, and seeing beauty in small things.
🍃 The Stem — My Skills and Strengths
The stem supports and connects everything. It represents my creativity, compassion, and ability to bring art to others as a form of care. Through it, inspiration travels between my roots and bloom — grounding and expression.
💨 The Seeds / Flyaways — What I Leave for Others
The seeds are the ideas, kindnesses, and creative sparks I hope to release into the world. Each one carries a message of compassion, imagination, and resilience — carried by the wind to plant new hope wherever it lands.
I then filled in each section with meaning — adding words that reflect how every part of the dandelion connects to my experiences and growth.
I then sketched my vision of the dandelion—its roots stretching into the earth, the ground steady beneath it, and its bloom reaching toward the light.
I then translated all the words from my list into a visual form, creating a dandelion sketch that represents how these ideas connect and grow together.
And then, of course, I celebrated the finished sketch with a Ding Dong. Because every good art session deserves chocolate.
🌼 Reflection: The Dandelion of Life
This piece became less about making an image and more about allowing meaning to emerge. As I worked, I realized that creativity often mirrors healing — neither happens in straight lines. Like a dandelion, growth can appear simple on the surface, but underneath it’s complex, resilient, and deeply rooted. I found myself letting go of perfection, trusting that each idea, each word, and even each mistake had a place. The process reminded me that everything we experience—joy, grief, curiosity, and rest—feeds the same soil. Art, for me, continues to be a way of integrating rather than dividing, of seeing beauty in wholeness. The Dandelion of Life is not about what I’ve created, but about recognizing that I am still growing, still blooming, still scattering seeds of myself into the world.